1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to attachments for door and window screens and, more particularly, to improved decorative safety attachments for placement on ordinary door or window screening. The attachments improve the overall visibility of the screen and thereby prevent inadvertent walk-through and resultant injury to persons or pets, tearing of the screening itself, or damage to other components or property. The present invention also provides a decorative benefit and helps to conceal minor wear or tears in the screening.
2. Description of the Background
There are a number of commercially available kits for repairing door or window screening.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,980 to Sharpe discloses a method and apparatus for repairing an opening in a screen having front and back patch members, whereby the members are placed over a screen opening and attached to one another via a hook-and-loop type fastening device on each of the two members.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,393 to Templeton discloses a method and apparatus for decoratively repairing holes in screens, whereby a threaded shaft is provided on a patch and inserted through the screen for attachment to a washer and thumb screw on the other side of the screen, thus holding the patch in place. Alternatively, two flattened surfaces each support an ornamental figure for placement over a hole in a screen, whereby each surface is provided with a snap attachment for connection to the other surface when placed on opposite sides of the damaged screen.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,487,830 to Robbins, II discloses a thermoplastic screen patch having ends which form a series of screen-engaging hooks which, when heated, contract to hold the patch in place.
There are also a number of products available for decorating door and window screening. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,875 to Abrams discloses a decorative panel configured on a flexible frame composed of piano wire or the like that is attached to a screen by flexing the frame. Extended frame members are inserted through the screen such that when the flexed screen is released, it returns to its original size and is held in place by the bearing of the extended frame members against the screen.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,764,398 to Fitz Gerald discloses an ornamental screening obtained by filling in portions of the screen mesh with a solidifying material to provide a decorative background or "web" on which the details of a design can be imposed.
Still there are other products which attempt to improve the visiblity of door and window screening for safety purposes. For example, SeeDoor Products, Inc. sells a decorative "Safety Signal" magnet set that attaches to each side of the screen mesh of a door or window.
Whether intended primarily for repairing screens, decorating screens, or improving the visibility of door and window screening for safety purposes, these and other like devices hold significant disadvantages, particularly as relating to their composition and means of anchoring to the screening itself. The Sharpe ('980), Templeton ('393), Robins II ('830), and SeeDoor devices for example all involve a two-sided screen anchoring method, requiring access to both sides of the screen for installation. The magnetic composition of the SeeDoor device also produces additional weight to bear on the screen. Accordingly, multiple attachments could cause minor screen sagging, particularly where vinyl coated glass yarn type screening is involved. Devices with two-sided screen anchoring methods may also pose clearance problems, particularly for sliding door applications where clearance on one side of the screen is usually minimal. The two-sided devices also require precise alignment of their respective components for attachment to a screen surface.
Several of the known devices also hold significant disadvantages in the methods by which the devices are attached to a screen. For example, the Robins II ('830) device requires the application of heat upon installation, both complicating the installation process and creating a hazardous condition for the installer. The Fitz Gerald ('398) device requires the use of complicated solvent materials which may prove messy and time consuming, and which produce a permanent (i.e., irreversible) change in the screening surface. Further, the Abrams ('875) device described above is relegated to large sizes and may involve undesirable material (i.e., wire) that may prove harmful particularly to vinyl coated glass yarn type screening.
Additionally, all of these devices involve multiple components or the assembly of different materials such that the manufacture of these products is relatively complicated and expensive.
Demand for an improved decorative safety attachment for enhancing the visiblity of screen doors and windows which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art devices has increased considerably in recent years with the proliferation in residential dwellings of the softer vinyl coated glass yarn type screening used in sliding patio doors, enclosed porches, and windows, replacing traditional, coarse, wire mesh screening. Screens are frequently damaged because their fine mesh creates the illusion of an open door. People often tend to mistake the screening for an open door, attempting to walk through the closed screen, thereby tearing the screen or otherwise damaging the screen door unit itself. Personal injury or other property damage may likewise result. These hazards particularly heighten the need for an effective visibility-enhancing safety device.
Accordingly, there remains a significant need for a visibility-enhancing and aesthetically pleasing safety device which can easily and conveniently be attached to and removed from most any type of door or window screen to improve overall visibility and decorative appeal. There also remains a significant need for a light-weight device that affords a one-side anchoring method for installation. There further remains a significant need for a simple and low cost safety device for enhancing the visibility of screen doors and windows which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art devices. There further remains a significant need to disguise minor wear and tears with a durable yet soft and pliable device that will not cause further damage to the screening.